Vincent Van Doughnut Hits the Road in October

Even before Strange Donuts has its doors open, there's another artisanal doughnut place in town. Meet Vincent Van Doughnut (yes, there's a van -- a 1960 Ford Grumman Olson named Clyde, to be exact), the brainchild of Brian Marsden and his brother-in-law Will Saulsbery.

Marsden owned the restaurant Mirasol from 2003 to 2007 (it's now Pi Pizzeria on Delmar) and his brother Brendan is the owner at Modesto Tapas. "It's my twenty-second year in the restaurant business, and I decided to do this because I saw a trend happening -- well, a trend building for several years now," Marsden tells Gut Check. "I think it has the potential of being like the billion-dollar cupcake business is now."

Marsden says Vincent Van Doughnut already has pre-orders and is doing its first wedding and some birthday parties coming up. He and Saulsbery are also looking at a brick-and-mortar location, but "it's not solidified yet." Expect interesting doughnut varieties like bananas foster, crème brulée and lemon lavendar, as well as the classic honey glazed and cake doughnuts. Marsden also wants to focus on the savory flavors, which is something he thinks is missing in the St. Louis doughnut market -- using pork fat instead of shortening, a cheddar biscuit doughnut, garlic cheesebread.

Vincent Van Doughnut doesn't have a set opening date for the actual truck yet, but Marsden sets it (tentatively) in mid-October. In the meantime, we'll have to drool over the photos. We'll update you when Vincent Van Doughnut is wheels in the well!